Frayed Knot

ARod - NOT in the starting lineup for game 3 Swisher - NOT in the starting lineup for game 3 Eric Chavez to start as is Brett 'I haven't started since April' Gardner

Mets � Willets Point wrote: Then there is classy, all-American Yankee Mickey Mantle's favorite memory. So are we talking about multiple blow jobs here from the entire bull pen or did the relief corps simply take turns on a single blow job? Inquiring minds want to know but, sadly, Mick isn't clear on this point.

Nor do I think there should be any tough rules about former roiders - either those who admitted or others who were merely suspected. They were doing something which, at the time, MLB & the players couldn't even be bothered to ban or even talk about and that maybe 1/4, maybe 1/2, maybe more of the league was doing. Is Colorado supposed to not consider Giambi for manager because of stuff he did a dozen years and three organizations ago before the testing and the rules were even in place? Assuming that they think all his other qualifications are in order for managing, I wouldn't hold him up just for that reason nor would I want MLB stepping in to apply some kind of ex post facto punishment. Baseball is simply going to have to come to terms with what went on in the '90s and considering those tainted by those times is, I think, a first step. Or they can be like the NFL and pretend that steroids never existed and therefore aren't even an issue.

Donald Trump, as usual, thinks the Yanqui struggles are all about him. According to what passes for news in the NYPost, a story says that Trump is tweeting and yapping to anyone who'll listen that the reason Jeter is hurt and ARod isn't so good anymore is because neither owns property with him like they used to. Jeter completed the sale of his Trumpaholic place just last week. On to [u:192hrvpw]Game 3[/u:192hrvpw] Verlander is actually just 1-1 in 3 starts against the Yanx this season - took a No-Decision against them on April 27: 5 runs (4 earned) on 7 hits over 6. HRs by Rodriguez & Martin. Yanx won it walk-off style in the 9th - got hung with a loss at home on June 3rd: 5 runs (3 earned) on 9 hits + 4 BBs over 6.1 IP. HRs by ARod again plus Jeter leading off the game - before finally getting a 'W' on Aug 6th: 2 runs (both unearned) on 9 hits over 8 IP w/14 Ks Guy needs to do something about his defense. Phil Hughes was 1-1 vs Detroit in 2 starts: - tossed a CG against Verlander in the June 3rd game, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits, 8 Ks & 3 BBS - then lost on August 7th, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits in 4.1 IPs and taking 102 pitches just to get that far. Yanx got two in the 9th off Valverde in this game too but fell a run short as Granderson popped-out with 2 on. I predict no Jeter HRs tonight.

I was wondering whether there'll be a trend in the near future towards younger managers in general, partially in the wake of Ventura and Matheny. Of course it's not like Davey & Dusty haven't done well lately also.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Buzz Bissinger's transition to full-on douche is just astounding. He spent a few hours last week cursing out people on Twitter in a lame attempt to "support" Lance Armstrong while also making a somehow noteworthy pronouncement that he will vote for Romney this time. I was mildly shocked that didn't come with a birthing/Muslim comment (or maybe it did). Sounds like Bissinger could be one of those later-in-life converts to the right side of the aisle - and, as in just about anything, there are few more committed than a convert. But back in his 'Friday Night Lights' days (1988) I seem to recall a chapter where, in describing the whole Odessa/Midland area, he essentially calls the folks who live there a bunch of dopes for supporting GHW Bush's presidential run while being too stupid to realize that his policies were all bad for them.

So the Rockies, in search for their new manager, are apparently talking to ... wait for it ... Jason Giambi It's long been said that he's been a guy fairly popular with and appreciated by his teammates over the years, and the players certainly don't care about the roids stuff the way fans and media types do. But he still would have been somewhere around guess number 1,324 if you had asked me for likely candidates.

Isn't there some kind of goofy formula for determining the "proper" limit for guys dating younger women? Something like half your age plus 7 years sticks in my head. If that's correct then this 22 y/o would be out of bounds for Jeter: X=(38/2)+7= 26 As for ARod: I've long thought that he gets a lot more abuse than he deserves but, holy sheeeet, he deserves a whole lot of it.

We had an ongoing argument/discussion about that here back the year he and Bay were both FAs. Not that I recall anyone taking the 'Bay = better overall' position, but how much worse Holliday's defense was (or wasn't) was one of the factors being thrown into the mix. He had made a bad error that October too so the topic was fresh in everyone's mind with some taking the position that he was usually pretty bad (I was on that side IIRC) while others claimed that he was, at worst, adequate and that his rep was being blown up by that one recent high-profile gaff. I still vote for notably below average even within the universe of LFers who, as a whole, aren't exactly known for their glove work.

And now Scutaro's replacement puts down the hammer with a 2-run single in the 8th. 7-1 Giants and still batting.

Dusty, despite not seeming to be real respected by fans as a top-notch manager, has had a very long and almost uninterrupted streak as a big league skipper and has had a pretty good record as such although has been somewhat star-crossed at the same time. - Started in 1993 and has managed every year since with the exception of 2007 - Won 103 games with the Giants in his very first season, but missed the playoffs to the 104 win Braves in that final year before wild cards - Finished 1st or 2nd in 8 of 10 seasons with SF (albeit in a 4-team division) although only 1st twice. Those two 1st-place finishes ended with no playoff series wins and just one game win - His Giants did won one pennant from the WC slot leading to the 2002 WS where his Giants had a 3-2 lead in games and 5-0 lead in the 7th inning of game 6 ... only to blow both that game plus the next one. That turned out to be his final game with the Giants - He immediately moved to the Cubs where he won the Central and carried a 3 games to 2 lead and a 3-0 lead into the 8th inning of the NLCS ... only to blow both that game (two words: Bart Man) and the next one too. His Cubs never finished above 3rd after that. - After the one year off in 2007, he wound up in Cincy where he won a division in his 3rd season ... only to get no-hit in their first playoff game and swept by the Phils getting only 11 hits in the whole series - Then in year five in Cincy (this year) he wins the Central again and watches as his team gets a 2-0 lead but then loses 3 straight at home - He's 1,581 - 1,432 overall In all he's managed 19 seasons, won five divisions, made the playoffs 6 times, but won just 3 series in total as his teams were 19-25 overall in post-season play TEAMMANAGERSTATUSUPDATESBRAVESFredi GonzalezSigned thru 2013 + 2014 optionMARLINSOzzie GuillenSigned thru 2015 METSTerry CollinsSigned thru 2012 + 2013 optionOption picked up for 2013PHILLIESCharlie ManuelSigned thru 2013NATIONALSDavey JohnsonSigned thru 2013CUBSDale SveumSigned thru 2014REDSDusty BakerSigned thru 2012Extended thru 2014BREWERSRon RoenickeSigned thru 2014 + 2015 optionPIRATESClint HurdleSigned thru 2013CARDINALSMike MathenySigned thru 2013 + 2014 optionDIAMONDBACKSKirk GibsonSigned thru 2014 + �15 & �16 optionsROCKIESJim TracySigned thru 2013 - Resigned 10/7DODGERSDon MattinglySigned thru 2013PADRESBud BlackSigned thru 2013 + options for �14 + �15GIANTSBruce BochySigned thru 2013 + option for �14ORIOLESBuck ShowalterSigned thru 2013RED SOXBobby ValentineSigned thru 2013 - Fired Oct 2012YANKEESJoe GirardiSigned thru 2013RAYSJoe MaddonSigned thru 2015BLUE JAYSJohn FarrellSigned thru 2013WHITE SOXRobin VenturaSigned thru 2014INDIANSManny Acta=#FF0000]Fired Sept 2012Hired Terry Francona - reportedly for 4 yearsTIGERSJim LeylandSigned thru 2012ROYALSNed YostClub option for 2013TWINSRon GardernhireSigned thru 2013ANGELSMike SciosciaSigned thru 2018ATHLETICSBob MelvinSigned thru 2014MARINERSEric WedgeSigned thru 2013RANGERSRon WashingtonSigned thru 2014ASTROSBrad Mills=#FF0000]Fired in AugustBo Porter hired for 2013 - ??

The Giants get the one-time lead singer from 'Tower of Power' to sign GBA during the 7th inning stretch but don't have Victor Conte out there backing him on bass? I guess that wouldn't have gone over too well in Selig's office.

I vote for lousy outfielder.

Beltran's post-season stats extrapolated to 600 ABs: .370 / .481 / .824 222 Hits; 211 Runs; 39 2Bs; 78 HRs; 139 RBIs; 83 Ks; 128 BBs; 50 SBs/0 CS

I haven't listened to Francesa more than a handful of times all year, but I tuned in today to hear what road he was going to take on the Yanx -- and he was surprisingly tough on his team. - Yes Jeter's injured but all teams have hurdles they have to overcome. He didn't add that we hear nothing about how they just squeaked by a team missing Markakis who is a much bigger part of the O's offense than Jeter is to the Yanx, so I'll do it here. - Yes the ump's call sucked but the Yanx have gotten plenty go their way over the years so you can't yell foul now. Get over it and hit. - Complaining about Cano not hustling and looking lax on defense sounds hollow now when no one gets on him when he does those things all year as long as he's hitting - empty seats in the stadium were 'covered up' for TV purposes. He claims entire sections that were empty in the 3rd inning were suddenly filled by the 6th - Why is Swisher surprised (see GF's above post) to discover that the fans aren't happy with him? - You want breaks? Make you own!

[u:2jnmlqnq]Game 1[/u:2jnmlqnq] Bumgarner got his ass kicked early on and the Cards had a 6-0 lead. 2R HRs from Freese & Beltran But then the Gigantes clawed back against Lance Lynn to get to 6-4 but have since stalled against a parade of pen guys. 6-4 Cards top 9 in SF

Baseball America's Top 20 Int'l Lg Prospects: 1) Matt Harvey 14) Jeurys Familia 17) Jenrry Mejia I predict the Mets will have no players on this list next year.

I'm not even thinking of it from a steroids point of view. Speculation on juicers via circumstantial observations is a waste of time in my mind and, even if not, what does it prove? Some will claim that players lasting longer is a sign of being on the stuff while others will point to earlier physical breakdowns as proof of usage. The larger point being that some players simply age better than others due to any one of a number of factors and it's virtually impossible to see which is which ahead of time. Why did Robbie Alomar, for instance, go from MVP candidate at age 33 to POS candidate at age 34 and never recover while others like Jeter and Vizquel barely started their slight downward arcs at the same point? This era of Yanqui mainstays has been, for whatever reasons, an exceptionally long-lasting bunch so when somebody suddenly doesn't fit that same mold the natives start to get restless even though they're actually complaining about somebody being the norm. The result is that Yanqui fans have clearly bought into the notion that Lake Wobegon has been relocated and so now the Bronx is the place where exceptionalism is the new normal and where every prospect is above average.

Yanx got royally screwed on that call ... and I don't care. Not to continually dwell on the Jeter injury or anything, but wasn't it nice to hear a telecast without every play by the SS being touted as if not only great but one only that SS could have made with such verve and panache? Peralta & Nix each made a couple of plays that, while not great, were nice little tricky, well-made plays, but none of them were fawned over like they [crossout]might[/crossout] would have been had it been ol' whatisname out there. The ARod & Swisher verbal beatings likely to continue tonight and straight through for the next 48 hours until the next game. Cano has been just as awful but he's got a bit more equity built up and has no obvious replacement. No surprise that all Yanqui runs so far in the series (all four of them) via the HR. Cue more calls for Girardi to start bunting.

Ashie62 wrote: Athletes who invest in businesses usually fail. Restaurants are among the most likely businesses to fail - and so what do athletes usually invest in? ...

I started to think last night about what it is that bugs Yanqui fans (and probably MFY mgmt) so much about ARod -- I mean aside from his personality, his prissiness, his preening, and the whole thing about lacking the clutchness gene -- when I came to the conclusion that it's mostly about one thing: he's aging. Yup, he's aging and Yanqui people think that that's something that "true Yanquis" don't do. Think about it: - Jeter put up one of his best seasons this year in about a decade at age 38. - Mariano missed this year with an odd injury (which maybe can be attributed to age but maybe it was just a fluke) but in recent years has been just as effective as ever and he's like 42 - Pettitte freaking retired but decides to come back after a year off, slides back into the majors with almost no minor league time, then breaks his ankle, and then comes back and pitches to a less than 3.00 ERA at age 40 and they use him as their number 2/3 guy in the playoffs - Ibanez was 40 before he got here with Ichiro nearly so and those two have been their best hitters lately and both improved on their pre-MFY numbers Go back to recent years and Posada, even after missing most of the season at age 35, had three more decent seasons at ages 37, 37 & 38 and he was a fucking catcher Clemens was, of course, too drugged up to decline And even going way back O'Neill & Brosius, both of them retired on their own terms so there's no MFY memory of them falling into their suck years. So it's kind of easy to see how one guy doing nothing out of the norm - starting to decline at age 37 like most ball players - seems, in the eyes of Yanqui fans, like an unpardonable sin. He's going down, it's probably irreversible, and because of the contract there's nothing they can do about it. They're not used to this kind of thing so it must all be somebody's fault. That many of them didn't like him much to begin with only exacerbates the matter.

I caught about 45 minutes of FAN after the game last night (as late as it was I was a bit too keyed up still to sleep) and, in addition to the expected main topic which was speaking of Jeter in funeral-like tones -- "he would have wanted the Yanquis to go on" ... well, shit, he isn't dead, it's just a fuckin' injury. Clubs deal with them and go on ... y'know, like the Orioles had to without Markakis -- the biggest theme of the night was Swisher and man was he getting creamed! Now obviously he deserves a lot of it: he isn't hitting; there were two catchable balls his way that led to runs; etc., but it went beyond that. Suddenly his goofy-guy act isn't funny anymore; fans are convinced that the fact that he hasn't hit in October means he never will, he's a fuckin' clown who shouldn't be re-signed, and so on. Girardi was getting his share as well, mostly for the usual crime of not making any of his 30 HR/yr guys bunt more often.

MFS62 wrote: Mets � Willets Point wrote: ... , with Jeter hobbling out to hoist the trophy at the end, and the nation's sports media lining up to fellate him. And the fans and reporters will compare the moment to when Willis Reed came out and actually played. And they'll continue to forget and/or ignore the fact that Willis wasn't actually the best player that day.

Mets � Willets Point wrote: TransMonk wrote: Personally, I think it's going to be difficult for Jeter to come back from this at all being 38 years old. Luckily they have a guy who can play shortstop who is only 37 years old. Girardi immediately ruled out moving Rodriguez over to SS. Not only has it been years for him but, hell, he can't even commit to keeping him in the batting order at his point. Jayson (what's that Y doing in there?) Nix, who filled in for the last inning last night, can play SS and Eduaro Nunez, who was inactive for this series due to the Tigers mostly RH hurlers, was added to the roster to replace St. Derek of Jeteria. Nunez is a better hitter than Jeter at this point so it's not like they're going to lose anything there (unless you subscribe to the whole clutch factor thing) but he's a butcher in the field. Maybe you'll see him during Sabathia's game(s) on the theory of more Ks means fewer ground balls to boot.

I'm still pissed about 2006